Reetha : Eco Detergent that grows on trees!

Household Uses of Soap Nuts ( Sapindus Mukkorossi)

More Than Detergent

The primary use of soap nuts remains as a laundry detergent. However, given its impressive cleaning properties, it's no wonder why they've also been identified for other purposes -- including shampoo, a spot treatment, and jewelry cleaner.

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A 100% natural product, soap nuts are available in dried-fruit form, as well as in powders and liquids. From the dried fruit shells, you can create your own powder and liquid versions from scratch.

Featured in The New York Times* in a piece done on "green and clean" laundry, soap nuts are today recognized the world over for their natural, eco-friendly ability to clean clothes. Yet did you know that with the same solution, you could clean practically everything in your home? It's true. How many commercial detergents can ascribe to that? Answer: None.

To get you started on your soap-nuts cleaning, here is the liquid recipe and a few ideas to ponder and experiment with:

How to make Soap Nut Liquid

Boil 10-12 soap nuts in 6 cups of water for 30 minutes until it is boiled down to 4 cups. Put 1/4 cup liquid into the laundry. Tip: its best to make smaller batches as it can spoil without preservatives.

All purpose cleaner: Boil soap nuts and separate the pulp from liquid with a strainer. Add the solution to a spray bottle and use for cleaning surfaces, windows, mirrors, and stovetops.

Steam-cleaning spot treatment: Add your soap-nuts solution to a portable steam cleaner. Though soap nuts have no fragrance, they can help remove odors from fabrics, such as curtains and upholstery.

Liquid hand soap: A water basin of warm water and a few soaked soap nuts can serve as a wash for your hands and face. For more foam though, add the solution to a portable foaming pump-bottle and use is anywhere.

Shampoo: Though soap nuts do not lather as much as commercial shampoos do, they do clean well and are safe for both humans and pets.

CAUTION: if the liquid gets into the eyes of it will sting, please be careful.

Jewelry cleaner: Regular dishwashing liquid has long been used as a convenient jewelry cleaner; soap nuts can be used in the same way. Soak jewelry in a solution of soap nuts and warm water and use a soft-bristle toothbrush to loosen any dirt.

Dishwasher soap: Add vinegar to the load as a rinsing agent and wash dishes as you normally would.

Vegetable wash: Being a fruit and 100% natural, you won't need to fear washing your vegetables with chemicals when using soap nuts.

Pest repellant: Works on various pests, such as mosquitoes. Soak the soap nuts, strain the liquid, and add to a spray bottle. Apply to arms and legs before going outdoors.Also works to get rid of pests on house and garden plants.

Unlike Other Cleaners

Unlike other cleaners, soap nuts do not rely on lab-created chemicals to do the job. Rather, the naturally-occurring saponin in their shells is all that's needed. Also, since soap nuts do not lather as much as commercial detergents, less water is needed to rinse their suds away. Using soap nuts enables you to reduce, reuse, and recycle -- the three R's of the environment.

For those with allergies, soap nuts are also ideal. As a hypoallergenic product, they can be used for most any purpose, from laundry to cleaning the windows. The residue left behind won't trigger common allergies, nor agitate sensitive skin. For babies and people with skin conditions, such as psoriasis, soap nuts can quell any and all concerns.

As a household cleaner, the nuts can be used in every room. And in the end, once you've used and reused your shells, you can simply return them to the Earth. If you already have a compost pile for your garden, soap nuts are a perfect addition. Biodegradable, the shells are far from being waste.

A Final Household Tip

As noted, soap-nut shells can be crushed into powder or boiled and strained into liquid. However, another approach is to freeze the liquid into cubes. For laundry, take a few cubes and toss them in your muslin bag. Since the saponin of the nuts has already been released, you can use the cubes in cold, warm, or hot washes. For spot cleaning, simply melt the cubes, add them to a spray bottle, and start spritzing.

"Its Good for you , your family and the environment."

Why choose Organic Foods and Natural Cosmetics?

Organic, un-adulterated foods have formed the basis of our human diet through the ages. It is only in recent times that we have been subjected to countless man-made chemicals found in our food and in the environment. Chemical farming inputs and "factory farming" became popular in the middle of the last century as a way to maximize crop yields. Today, our world pays a large price for these practices, which have resulted in environmental and economic imbalances. What happens to the health of the animals, plants, micro-organisms, soil, oceans, and atmosphere, also affects human beings. There is no one who is immune to the effects of an unhealthy environment, no matter how much technology or wealth they may possess.

“A growing body of research shows that pesticides and other contaminants are more prevalent in the foods we eat, in our bodies, and in the environment than we thought. And studies show that by eating organic foods, you can reduce your exposure to the potential health risks associated with those chemicals." Consumer Reports (Feb. 2006)

In an increasingly polluted urban environment, where our water, air and food are contaminated, keeping healthy has become something of a challenge. Our exploding urban population is starting to show signs of the damage being done by rapidly changing lifestyles, poor diet and lack of exercise. When the food we eat is polluted, we carry that pollution in our bodies, some of it remains there, accumulates and eventually causes diseases. Obesity, diabetes and heart disease are on the rise.

Our children are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of agricultural toxins as they consume a higher percentage in relation to their size. The average child receives four times more exposure to at least eight widely used cancer causing pesticides found in food than the average adult does.

The foundation for healthy plants and animals is healthy soil. Organic farming practices help protect water quality, prevent soil erosion, maintain and enhance seed, crop and ecological biodiversity. Organic food is free from the highly toxic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and growth hormones used in intensive farming and they are also free of artificial colourings, flavourings, additives, sweeteners and the thousands of other unwanted and unnecessary chemicals used in food.

A study published by the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry found that organic produce contains higher levels of disease-fighting antioxidants than conventional produce. They are safer and more nutritious because of the higher vitamin and mineral concentrations. Organic food is free from artificial additives that can cause osteoporosis, heart disease and hyperactivity. There is in fact, only food in organic food.

Why use Natural Cosmetics

For most of us the use of cosmetic and personal care products is an every day affair. We use creams, shampoos, lotions, happily unaware that they may contain a cocktail of chemicals and preservatives. Your skin is the largest eliminatory organ in the body and has the remarkable ability to absorb applied products, partially or completely, into the bloodstream. Up to 60% of what we put onto our skin may be absorbed into the bloodstream. This is good news if all the skin care products you are using are beneficial and free from chemicals and preservatives. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

According to "The Environmental Working Group":

· More than one-third of all personal care products contain
at least one ingredient linked to cancer.

· 57 percent contain "penetration enhancer" chemicals that
can drive other ingredients faster and deeper into the skin
to the blood vessels below.

· 70 percent of all products contain ingredients that may
contain harmful impurities such as known carcinogens,
according to FDA or industry reviews.

So, the more cosmetics you use on your skin, the more chemicals you are likely to absorb.

As more information becomes available on the impact of long term effects of chemicals and pesticides in the quality of our lives, more and more people are becoming concerned about the quality of the food they eat, the teas they drink and the cosmetics they use, and they are waking up to the fact that there are healthier alternatives available.

Our range of food, herbal infusions and cosmetics are grown and processed without the use of any pesticides, chemicals and preservatives.

For many farmers and consumers, organic represents the values that are most important to them. When you choose organic, you’re not only protecting your family’s health and standard of living, but supporting sustainable agriculture, clean air and water for future generations as well.